Many of you have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs Personality Types and the corresponding test. I've taken it a couple times and recently took it again for a graduate class. As I was reading my…Continue

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I've been doing some research and reading lately in the area of Advanced Degrees and EMS. What's your take on it? I've been very interested in a…Continue

"That's right. And it surely doesn't have to be rural. In fact, the economics are probably better in a suburban area, where there were (historically) more local, independent agencies. Better fodder for merger. The…"

"It's pretty much a matter of time in many places, though everyone trying to protect a fiefdom can slow it down some (or a lot, depending on local politics, which is why my county has 1 PSAP, while Cuyahoga Co OH has 47).
It doesn't have…"

As grant funding becomes more and more scarce throughout all disciplines, many organizations are moving toward regional approaches to emergency services. Emergency Management is becoming regionalized, Public Health is regionalizing their efforts, and even communications centers are regionalizing across counties. All this is supposedly being done in an effort to increase access to grant funds by providing more "bang for the buck" through the development of regional efforts rather than…See More

"In the USA, the average ambulance service operates 5 units and exists at the edge of survival. There are many "general managers" who have to be (and cannot possibly be) experts at all aspects of the business. There are few…"

"In the UK, we went from something like 40 EMS agencies to 11, whilst it could be argued that costs are reduced from removing back office systems. It ended up with agencies spanning 200 - 300 miles and therefore having to create a uniformed service…"

As grant funding becomes more and more scarce throughout all disciplines, many organizations are moving toward regional approaches to emergency services. Emergency Management is becoming regionalized, Public Health is regionalizing their efforts, and even communications centers are regionalizing across counties. All this is supposedly being done in an effort to increase access to grant funds by providing more "bang for the buck" through the development of regional efforts rather than…See More

"I picked up a patient in a similar situation a few months ago. The product was called "Spice" and was actually sold as potpourri/incense. He presented much the same way: 17 y/o male, hypertensive ~178/110, SVT at 168,…"

Many of you have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs Personality Types and the corresponding test. I've taken it a couple times and recently took it again for a graduate class. As I was reading my results, and becoming a little unsettled as to how well it described me, I began to think about the different personality types and how they might, or might not, be helpful in determining who would make a successful EMT. I know some employers in certain industries actually encourage their employees…See More

Last time I discussed briefly the importance of change in our profession. The profession that doesn’t change and adapt with the times will soon find itself outdated, inefficient, ineffective, and maybe even replaced. That’s why it’s so important that we consider how we can move forward and do our best to enact policies and protocols to see that our profession prospers in the coming future of reformed healthcare. We’ve already looked at the opportunities and possibilities for improvement in…See More

Many of you have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs Personality Types and the corresponding test. I've taken it a couple times and recently took it again for a graduate class. As I was reading my results, and becoming a little unsettled as to how well it described me, I began to think about the different personality types and how they might, or might not, be helpful in determining who would make a successful EMT. I know some employers in certain industries actually encourage their employees…See More

"Here's my problem with using personality tests to determine employment (for EMS, Fire, and the Police Department): it assumes that someone's personality is static.
Unfortunately, the truth is that everyone's personality is…"

"I see the value in an EMS system weeding out an EMT or paramedic candidate who has irrational health fears, and if that's all the MMPI-2 (or the test that NEMSMA is developing) does, then I'm wrong and I don't mind saying so.…"

Justin Tilghman's Blog

Last time I discussed briefly the importance of change in our profession. The profession that doesn’t change and adapt with the times will soon find itself outdated, inefficient, ineffective, and maybe even replaced. That’s why it’s so important that we consider how we can move forward and do our best to enact policies and protocols to see that our profession prospers in the coming future of reformed healthcare. We’ve already looked at the opportunities and possibilities for improvement…